Mr Mayor and Me: the Secret Affairs.

Chapter 1 Seeing the notice of intent first thing in her office building that morning was not what she expected. Amelia Hart ripped it off before anyone would notice. She folded the paper into a neat square and stuffed it into her handbag, then forced a huge smile when the bakery door next to her swung open. “Good morning beautiful.” The old bakery owner waved with an equally big smile. She waved back. “Good morning, Sir Greg. How’s the back?” She asked back. “All good.” He touched his back as if to confirm. He looked exhausted but hopeful. She was sure he must have gotten the eviction notice too. “I hope you’ll be able to convince the mayor today Amelia.” He sighed. Amelia looked past him. Across Hartwell Square, the other shop owners were opening their stores. Mrs Chen unlocked her tailor's shop. The florist was humming while he arranged flowers outside his shop. Little kids chased pigeons through t the courtyard while the parents yelled at them to slow down. This was Hartwell Square. To the city, it was just an outdated building, an eyesore to the city’s progress. To Amelia, it was home. The home she watched her father build brick by brick for thirty years of his life, hoping that families could achieve their dreams here. Now those dreams were about to be sold in square footage and market value. Fuck that stupid mayor. “Don’t worry guys.” She smiled at everyone who stopped to listen. “ I’ll make sure I convince him. I’ll do everything I can. I’ll sue him if I have to.” She joked at the end. They all chuckled. “We know you will.” And somehow, their assurance made her feel worse. Amelia took out her phone as soon as she got into her office. She swiped several contacts and stopped at one that was named ‘Nathan’ with a red heart. She sent a quick text. “I'm in the building, I'm not sure I would be home today." A reply came in immediately. “Okay. Try not to overwork.” She smiled and slipped her phone back in. Thirty minutes later….. Amelia Hart stood in front of the city hall. It looked exactly as intimidating as people said it was. Huge Security officers stood at the entrance. Everyone wore impeccable suits and ties, they spoke quietly. Amelia walked up to the receptionist. “Amelia Hart.” The receptionist's fingers flew over the keyboard. She took one look at the appointment and her expression changed. “The mayor is expecting you.” Amelia nodded and walked away. Sigh. “She’s the only one who refused to sell.” Someone whispered. “It’s just an old building, and she could get a lot of money from it.” Amelia ignored them z She adjusted her blazer, tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear, and walked towards the mayor's office. She met the secretary halfway. “Miss Amelia Hart.” He said as he pushed the door open. The mayor's office, in one word, was HUGE! It was completely modernised with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the entire city, polished tiles, and shelves filled with awards. The mayor was behind his polished walnut desk. He was sitting. He stood in front of the window, studying the city with his hands clasped behind his back. As if the city were his. Well…technically he runs the city so….Yeah. “This city was built for progress. Don't you think Miss Heart?” He suddenly spoke. Amelia didn’t reply. Instead, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin. She knew what he was playing at. He turned. For one stupid moment, Amelia understood why half the city had obsessed over him during the election season. Damn. Nathan has been exaggerating during the election. Board shoulders filled his tailored suit, sharp jaws, and calm grey eyes that pinned her with unwavering confidence. He was infuriatingly handsome. She almost clicked her tongue in annoyance but that would be unethical. He walked towards her, his strides long and confident. “Miss Hart.” “Mr. Mayor.” They shook hands. And just as she expected. His large hands were warm and callous. The handshake was professional, but his eyes never left her face. He had this smirk that seemed to be stuck permanently on his face. “Let’s have a seat.” She nodded and followed behind him. The chair was so soft, she could sell her soul to have one in her office. As soon as they sat… “You refused my offer, Miss Hart.” She sat straighter. “I read every offer.” “And?” He raised a brow. “I'm not selling Mr Mayor.” She said firmly. She would not let this handsome devil intimidate her. One corner of his mouth twitched. It was not a smile. He placed his arms on the table and leaned forward. His expression was serious. "Hartwell Square sits in the center of the East River Redevelopment Project. Our studies estimate the project will create over twelve thousand jobs." He tapped the table as he stated the numbers. She folded her arms. "And how many businesses disappear?" He paused. "The city has prepared generous compensation for them." Amelia sighed in exasperation. "Money doesn't rebuild communities." "It helps." He shrugged. She shook her head. "No, Mr. Mayor. It buys temporal silence." The room fell quiet. Mr Mãyõr stared at her. Most people lowered their voices when speaking to Damian Ashford. Amelia had just challenged him without blinking. He slid a thick folder across the desk. "This is our final offer." She didn't even open it. "No." He raised his brow. "You haven't looked." "I don't need to." She said stubbornly. His jaw tightened. "Miss Hart, progress requires sacrifice." “Sacrifices that I am not willing to make.” "Our engineers determined—" "I didn't ask your engineers." She interrupted. Damian blinked twice in shock. Silence. It was Long and Heavy. Finally, Damian straightened the papers she'd ignored. "I admire your conviction." He held her gaze another moment. Then stood up. “I understand that you might be very emotional after seeing the eviction. We would reschedule.” Amelia picked up her bag. At the door, she stopped. Without turning around, she said, "You see an old building. I see people’s hopes and dreams. I'm never selling that building Mr.Mayor.” Then she walked out. As soon as they sat down, Damian leaned back. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long slow drag. “Stubborn woman.” He blew the smoke into the air. Amelia sat inside her car with her head resting on the steering wheel. “f*****g, stupid city development.” She snapped, hitting the wheel. Then she sighed and raised her head. She took out her phone. She suddenly wanted to speak to Nathan. He was the only one who understood her. When she saw their picture on her screensaver. She smiled and called him. The phone rang once, twice. No answer. She frowned. Nathan always answered her calls seconds after she called. ‘What happened?’ Something at the back of her mind told her that something wasn’t right. She called four more times but he didn’t answer. She looked at her watch. She had time. Nathan said he was taking a day off. She might as well go and see what happened to him. Minutes later, Amelia opened the front door to her house, and the first thing she noticed was the shoe carelessly thrown about. She frowned. Didn’t he say he wasn’t going to work today because he was sick? And Nathan was a neat freak, he would never leave his shoes lying about. She picked up the shoes, noted that the shoes were not something she and Nathan could afford. She kept the shoes aside. She made her way up the stairs. The further she walked, the small continuous noises slipped into her ears. Her heart sped up. Her hands shook. “No. It can't be.” She whispered when the noise became clearer. Their bedroom door was slightly open. The noises were louder. “Oh Lord right there. Right there right there.” She heard Nathan cry. “Oh God no.” Tears slipped from her eyes. Amelia stepped forward and pushed open the bed. Her knees gave out. She crumbled to the ground. On their matrimonial bed was Nathan, butt naked. But that wasn’t the shocking part. He was grinding his waist….ON ANOTHER MAN’S d**k. “Fuck.” Amelia gasped. Nathan turned suddenly at the sound to catch her eyes. He immediately goes pale, and he jumps off the other man. “f**k! f**k!” He kept mumbling as he scrambled to cover himself. “It’s not what you think, Amelia.” He waved frantically as he covered himself. At least he had some shame.